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BREAKING NEWS: General/Special Election Date Is Tuesday, November 5; Get Out and Vote!

ZEBULON - The election was held on November 5, 2019, and the results were given at the Board of Elections & Registration rather than the courthouse since the county now has an election board. Click here for election results.

ADDED 11.4.19: So tomorrow is Election Day for Pike County. 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at your voter precinct if you are a voter in District 3 for the county or if you live in Zebulon, Williamson, or Concord.

How many 3rd District voters have cast their vote for their favorite candidate? 105. How many District 3 voters could cast their votes in this election? 3,192.

Zebulon, Williamson, Molena, and Concord are also voting tomorrow. How many have voted in the city elections? 66.

[Note from the Editor: This is the original article from August 7, 2019 and all updates.]

Elections will be held a little bit different than you are used to this year. Pike County has a Board of Elections & Registration which is now in charge of elections. (The members of the Board of Elections & Registration are shown in the picture above.) Lynn Vickers is the Election Supervisor.

If you need an absentee ballot by mail, you need to call or come by the Elections and Registration Office located beside the Sheriff's Office at 79 Jackson Street in Zebulon. (Look for the long white awning.) You can call them at (770) 567-2003.

There will be a forum for the 3rd District Commission Candidates on Thursday, October 24 at 7 p.m. at Farm Bureau. The public is invited to attend.

Most of the cities have already agreed to have or are in discussion about allowing the county to conduct their elections beginning in November of 2019. If the cities have agreed for the county conduct their elections, all early voting will take place in Zebulon at the Office of the Board of Elections & Registration. All county early voting will take place at this same location.

ADDED 9.9.19: The City of Zebulon has agreed to move their polling place to Board of Elections & Registration beginning on September 1. All early and regular voting will now take place at the Board of Elections and Registration located in the old County Commission room beside the Sheriff's Office.

There is one County Commission Seat that will be on the November ballot. Commissioner Tommy Powers served our county for many years in this seat and recently passed away. Candidate information for his seat will be in the County Election portion of this article.

If you would like to vote in this election but are not registered to vote at this time or you need to change your county of residence because you are a new resident to Pike County, you have until the close of business on Monday, October 7, 2019 to go to the Office of Elections & Registrations located beside the Pike County Sheriff's Office on Jackson Street right across from the Courthouse. If you have any questions about your registration or how to vote in this election, please call the Office of Elections & Registration at 770-567-2003.

Lynn Vickers, Supervisor of the Board of Elections, is requesting that anyone who needs an absentee ballot--including those 75 years or older, disabled, in the military, or going to school or working out of state—-to please come by the office or call at 770-567-2003. Absentee ballot applications do not roll over from year to year. These applications are good for the rest of 2019 election year.

Voting Dates

Important voting dates include:

• October 7, 2019 - Last day for a person to register and be eligible to vote in the November General Election and
Runoff.
• October 11, 2019 - Earliest day for a registrar to mail an absentee ballot for the November General/Special Election.
• October 14, 2019 - Advanced (Absentee In-Person) Voting begins for the November General/Special Election.
• November 5, 2019 - Date of November General/Special Election.
• December 3, 2019 - Date of Runoff if needed.

If you would like to review a copy of your ballot in the November election, click here.

City Election Information

Zebulon

The office of Mayor will be on the November ballot. Bobby Blalock is the currently in this seat.
Joe Walter has qualified to run for this seat and will be unopposed on the November ballot.

The District 1 Post 2 seat is currently held by David Woods and will be on the November ballot.
David Woods and Claude Hollis have qualified to run for this seat and will be on the November ballot.

The District 2 Post 1 seat currently held by Dewey Yarbrough will be on the November ballot.
Dewey Yarbrough has qualified to run for this seat and will be unopposed on the November ballot.

There will be a special election to fill the expired term of District 2 Post 2 in November. Joe Walter is resigning from his current post to run for mayor.
Mike Beres and Anthony (Mark) Nalls have qualified to run for this seat and will be on the November ballot.

[Note from the Editor: This is the final list of candidates on the November ballot for the City of Zebulon.]

Concord

The City Council Seat Post 3 is currently held by Josh Caldwell and will be on the November ballot.
Josh Caldwell has qualified to run for this seat and will be unopposed on the November ballot.

City Council Seat Post 4 is currently held by Subrenna Weathers and will be on the November ballot.
Subrenna Weathers has qualified to run for this seat and will be unopposed on the November ballot.

City Council Seat Post 5 is currently held by Rick Calhoun and will be on the November ballot.
Rictor Calhoun has qualified to run for this seat and will be unopposed on the November ballot.

The City will have the following referendum on the ballot for the November 5 election. It will be a simple yes or no vote that reads:
“Shall the governing authority of the City of Concord, Georgia, be authorized to issue licenses to sell distilled spirits for beverage purposes by the drink, such sales to be for consumption only on the premises?”

[Note from the Editor: This is the final list of candidates and referendum on the November ballot for the City of Concord.]

Molena

The office of Mayor will be on the November ballot. George Ingram is the currently in this seat. Joyce Corley qualified to run for this seat and is unopposed.

The Post 1 seat is currently vacant and will be on the November ballot. Jennifer Riggins qualified to run for this seat and is unopposed.

The Post 2 seat is currently held by Damon Riggins and will be on the November ballot. Damon Riggins qualified to run for this seat and is unopposed.

The Post 3 seat was held by Joyce Corley and will remain vacant until the Special Election in February since she has qualified to run as Mayor.

[Note from the Editor: Pike County Times was advised that there will be no election since there is no opposition on any of these seats.]

Williamson

The office of Mayor will be on the November ballot. Steve Fry is the currently in this seat.
Steve Fry has qualified to run for this seat and will be unopposed on the November ballot.

City Council 1 is currently held by Stephen Levin and will be on the November ballot.
Stephen Levin has qualified to run for this seat and will be unopposed on the November ballot.

City Council 3 is currently vacant and will be on the November ballot.
Donna Scoggins and John Brown qualified to run for this seat and will be on the November ballot.

City Council 4 is currently held by Carol Berry and will be on the November ballot.
Carol Berry has qualified to run for this seat and will be unopposed on the November ballot.

City Council 5 is currently held by Brenda Bennett and will be on the November ballot.
Brenda Bennett has qualified to run for this seat and will be unopposed on the November ballot.

[Note from the Editor: This is the final list of candidates who will be on the November ballot for the City of Williamson.]

County Election Information

There will be a Special Election for Commissioner Tommy Powers District 3 Commission seat on November 5, 2019. If you would like to look at a .pdf of the county to see which district you are in, click here. [Note from the Editor: Thanks to candidate Jason Proctor for contacting and then emailing this to Pike County Times.]

Those who qualify will qualify as a Republican or Democrat but there will be no party primary. Voters will make their choice in the election and, should a runoff be required, it will be held on Tuesday, December 3, 2019.

Early voting will take place Monday, October 14 through Friday, November 1, 2019. Election Day will be on Tuesday, November 5, 2019.

Jason Proctor from Meansville, Robby Kendrick from Meansville, Jerome Finley from Zebulon, and Misty Meeks from Zebulon have all qualified for this commission seat. [Note from the Editor added Wednesday, August 28: Bobby Wilkerson from Meansville has withdrawn from the race.]

[Note from the Editor added Monday, September 3: Rick Rickerson filled out the paperwork to run as a write-in candidate. However, Georgia Election Code states in Section 21-2-133 that intention of candidacy must be filed with the county and published in the legal organ (The Pike Journal Reporter) no later than 7 days after the close of the special qualifying period for this special election. The ad is in this week's paper, but it was not in last week's paper and last Friday was the 7th day after the close of the qualification period. You can read this section of code in full by clicking here.

ATTENTION CANDIDATES: Candidates in contested elections are encouraged to send a 500 WORD OR LESS press release that tells who you are, why you are running, contact or website information, and any other pertinent information to editor@pikecountytimes.com. PLEASE NOTE: I do not want to hear about who you're running against. I want to hear why YOU are running and YOUR PLAN to help the community if you win your seat.

[Note from the Editor: These candidate statements have been uploaded in the order that they were sent to me. If your candidate has not sent a statement to me, please contact them and ask them to do so.]

Robby Kendrick

Hello my name is Charles Robert 'Robby ' Kendrick Jr. I was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Charlie and Reba Kendrick. I have 2 sisters, Vickie Kendrick Cardell and Charlotte Kendrick Gibson.

I spent the first 7 years of my life in Riverdale. We then moved to Pike County (Zebulon) in what is now 3rd District. We lived on Milner Road in a time where I could ride my bike on the road and a lot of the roads were dirt. I went to Pike County Schools, played in the high school's band, and graduated in 1984.

In 1986 I bought my house and became a part of the Vega Community. I got married in 1993 to Toletta Kendrick and we have 3 children 9 grandchildren and one great grandchild on the way. One grandchild is Isabella White who does the coat drive for the homeless. She came up with this idea at the age of 6.

I worked various jobs such as construction,mechanics and truck driving. I even had the privilege to work at our Primary school. I was involved in a motorcycle accident in 2013 when a tree fell across the road on a dark rainy night. I have a permanently damaged leg and had to stop working which gives me time to serve my community.

It is my desire and passion to see our county become better than it has ever been. It wasn't a quick thought, however. I had been thinking of running for several years and with Mr. Tommy passing away I think it's time to run. I have lived here for 45 and haven't left because I love it here.

I will work with the other Commissioners to try and keep a small town unity while helping guide through the rapid growth of our community. I truly hope we can find a balance.

I am a Conservative and I do vote Republican. With that being said I'm open to all suggestions. I'm not naive. I know I can't please everyone. I would only be 1 vote out of 5.

I have already been trying to answer questions on Facebook and will try to answer all I can as accurately and as quickly as I can. You may contact me through Face Book or email me at robby.kendrick66@gmail.com.

Jason Proctor

I am running for County Commissioner District 3. I’ve lived in the County for 34 years, 17 of them in District 3.

I co-own a family business that has been in the County since it was established in 1994. We support various Pike County organizations and athletics.

I am a 1997 graduate of Pike County High School. I am married. My wife and I have 10 nieces and nephews and all are in the Pike County school system. I am currently serving my first term on the Pike County Planning Commission.

My objective in running for Commissioner of District 3 is to look at each agenda separately and make the best decision to Keep Pike Great. I’d appreciate your Vote come November 5th!

Misty M. Meeks

Hello fellow Pike County citizens! For those of you who do not know me, please let me tell you a little about myself.

My name is Misty M. Meeks. I am originally from a small town in the Rocky Mountains called Bailey, Colorado. I moved to Georgia with my 4 children in 2004.

I met my now husband, Ben Meeks, in 2010, which brought me to move my family to this beautiful county in 2012. After marrying, my family grew to 7 children, all of which have either graduated from, or still attend PCHS.

I have worked at United Bank for almost 7 yrs. Because of my occupation, it has afforded me the opportunity to develop relationships with people of all walks of life that I am proud to call my neighbors.

I am not a politician. I am an average citizen that wants to contribute in the preservation, and also the future molding of this amazing county. Although I do not have established family ties here, this is home and I have developed a passion for this community. God, family and my community are my top priorities.

I am fully committed to representing all of the concerns from not only the citizens of District 3, but also the community as a whole. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns to mmmeeks9@yahoo.com.

Thank you for your support November 5th and I look forward to the opportunity of serving you!

Jerome Finley

I am Jerome Finley, a candidate for the district 3 commission post. Born and raised in Upson County, I graduated from Upson High School in 1980. From there, I served in the Navy and upon honorable discharge went to work for the Air Force as an electronics mechanic. After attaining a Bachelor’s Degree from Mercer University (later attaining a Master’s Degree in Administration and Supervision of Public Schools from Georgia College), I began teaching 5th grade at Milner Middle School in Milner, Georgia.

In my third year at Milner Middle School, I met my soon to be wife, (the former) Denise Milner of Pike County who was also teaching 5th grade. We have been married for 30 years (lived in Pike for 28) and have 2 daughters that graduated from PiCoHi and still live here. We have 3 grandchildren, one of whom attends Pike Primary. We have been members at Meansville Baptist Church for 27 years.

After teaching public school for 17 years, I began working in the family upholstery business. For the past ten years I have served as Ministry Assistant at Meansville Baptist Church and Clerk for the city of Meansville. I have served as a deacon at my church, been chairman and vice-chairman of the Pike Republican Party and served the remainder of Commissioner Philip Hanson’s term after his untimely death. (I didn’t run for reelection)

We own a little over a hundred acres off of Hwy 18. One daughter has already built on the property and I hope that the other will soon follow. We want this land to remain in the family for my grandchildren and great grandchildren. It is incumbent upon me to do all that I can to make this possible. Again, this is a major reason for my candidacy.

I am socially and fiscally conservative. It is very important to me that Pike Co. maintain its rural atmosphere and control its growth. There are many challenges and opportunities for us in this county. Our small tax base and the need for more services are among these. I have knowledge of government and desire to continue the good service that Mr. Tommy Powers provided. As I like to say, “I plan to grow old and die in Pike.” To this end, I want to do all that I can for the betterment of the county.

I am excited about the opportunity to serve on the County Commission again, and would appreciate your vote.

Closing

Thank you to First Bank of Pike and Breaking News subscribers who are helping pay for the amount of time that it takes to keep Pike County up to date on breaking news!

[Note from the Editor: Thank you to all who have served in your cities up until this point, and thank you to all who are going to throw your hats in the ring for the November election. It takes a special kind of person to want to serve in a leadership capacity, and you are appreciated more than you realize. Things don't just happen for our county or our cities, it takes leadership and teamwork to get things done!

Thank you again to Commissioner Tommy Powers' family for sharing him with the county over the years. Tommy and I didn't always see eye to eye, but he always answered the phone when I called, and he always listened to what I had to say. In this day and age, that is a rare thing in politics.

P.S. If you are involved in elections and see anything that is incorrect in this article, please call or text me immediately at 770-468-7583. Special thanks to everyone who spent time talking to me about this election!]

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